Our question this week was:

Dr. Debra – My eight-year-old cat has a problem with hairballs even though I give her Laxatone. Someone suggested that I give her a little cod liver oil but I don’t know how much she should have and don’t want to cause her stress if I give her too much and she were to have an accident before reaching her litter pan. Could you tell me if this is safe for her and if so what dose she should get?

Thank You!

Carol Buiza

Answer

Hi – thanks for your email Carol. You wrote that your cat has a problem with hairballs even though you give her a hairball medication called Laxatone.

Personally, I don’t like to make hairball prevention stressful. Generally, it takes time for them to work and I would not worry about her reaching the litter box. That shouldn’t be a problem.

Most cats don’t like cod-liver oil. I’m not sure how severe the problem is but you can try increasing the frequency of the Laxatone. You can also try some different hairballs medications if your cat doesn’t like that one. There are some different brands and flavors that appeal to different cats. There are also some different foods that contain a hairball laxative that work well for some cats.

An article that might be helpful to you is Hairballs.

Best of luck!

Dr. Debra